512 Pixels

I was no fan of Windows XP, but this documentary about its default wallpaper is fascinating.

Apple Support, kinda:¹

Let’s say you would like to know what week of the year a certain date falls on. FileMaker Pro and ClarisWorks both have a WeekofYear function which returns the number of weeks from January 1 based on a supplied date. If you want to calculate the number of weeks starting at a date other than January 1, as in a fiscal year beginning date, you can use the following calculation given your file contains the field ProjectDate: Week of Year (calculation, number result) = INT ((ProjectDate - Date (3,1,Year (ProjectDate)))/7)+1

The Date function is where the start date is formed. In this example, the start date is 3/1 of the year of the ProjectDate.

At least these versions of NASA’s new rocket won’t be hamstrung by years of delay … probably.

Get vaccinated and stay safe out there.

Apple Support:

Although there currently is no official certification or industry-standard documentation process associated with Year 2000 (Y2K) Compliance, the Newton OS presents no difficulty in handling information spanning the millennium.

The Newton OS, since its introduction, has been designed to use a calculation of “minutes past midnight, January 1, 1904” or “seconds past midnight, January 1, 1993.” This calculation is used for dates prior to and after the year 2000. Therefore, dates at or beyond the 2000 mark, are simply larger numbers as a result of this calculation — and do not have the difficulty other operating systems may have when calculating dates before and after the year 2000.

There was, however, a problem waiting just a decade later.

As the year draws to a close, David and I survey the landscape and talk through the products, services and policies that have shaped Apple and its users over the last year.

This week on a very normal episode of our podcast:

It’s time for our annual Christmas gift exchange round-robin, and then the boys get down to business with some competitive picks about what will happen in 2022. All that’s followed by a game of 20 Questions, with the questions supplied by Connected listeners! Happy holidays to everyone.

Apple Support:

Thinking about getting the iPod adapter for your BMW? Find out the answers to some frequently asked questions.

This old Apple press release has more information on this $149 product:

The new system developed by Apple and BMW enables drivers to seamlessly use their iPod in BMW’s 3 Series, Z4 Roadster, X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and MINI Cooper by simply plugging their iPod into a cable located in the car’s glove compartment. With the iPod safely located in the glove compartment and powered by the car’s battery, drivers can now enjoy high fidelity sound through their car’s stereo system and control their iPod using the standard buttons on their BMW or MINI steering wheel.

“One of the next frontiers for a seamless digital music experience is the car,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We all spend a lot of time driving, and now this elegant solution lets iPod users enjoy their entire music collection in their BMW or MINI.”

And there’s more:

The seamless integration of iPod makes it effortless for drivers to control their music through their existing audio system and the multifunction steering wheel. The BMW iPod Adapter enables drivers to easily access their entire music library, shuffle songs, skip between tracks and adjust volume—all of this with no loss of sound quality or driving control. Drivers can also create up to five unique “BMW playlists” to listen to while on the road enabling them to enjoy their favorite songs at the touch of a button. The BMW iPod Adapter integrates Apple’s iPod and iPod mini through a direct connection in the glovebox, providing outstanding sound quality and constant power to the iPod.

The Wayback Machine has a copy of the original webpage, which is glorious:

I installed a wireless CarPlay adapter to compare it to good, old-fashioned wired CarPlay:

This week on Mac Power Users:

David had to move his home office, while Stephen built a cabin. This week, the guys compare notes on how their studios have evolved over the last couple of years.

Don’t miss my video tour of the PodCabin and my updated gear page.

The way we work is changing rapidly. Make work happen wherever you are by saying more in less time and with less effort using TextExpander. My thanks to TextExpander for sponsoring 512 Pixles this week. Check it out and get 20% off at this link.

I really enjoy making photo edits on my iPad with Pixelmator Photo, so seeing that the app is now universal and supports the iPhone was an exciting way to start the work day. Don’t miss The One True John’s first impressions over on MacStories.